One of the big stories going into the 2026-2027 season is the return of Tyrese Haliburton to the Indiana Pacers. While it will be great to see him back on the court, this is not the same Pacers team Hali left, not to mention a much more competitive Eastern Conference than he's used to.
During the first quarter of game seven of the 2025 NBA Finals, Haliburton suffered a torn right Achilles tendon. That injury cost Hali a full season of his career as well as a championship for the Pacers. Many believed they would have ultimately beaten OKC if not for the injury.
Haliburton spent the entirety of 2025-2026 watching the Pacers from the sidelines, as well as hitting up a few WWE events. As the 2026-2027 season gets closer, reports indicate that he is operating at nearly 100% and will be ready for competition. But he might not be ready for what's waiting for him.
Things have changed in Haliburton's absence
While Hali was gone, his conference has transformed. The Knicks are now at the top of the league and show no signs of slowing down. The Hornets and Hawks both picked up significant steam while making substantial changes to their respective rosters. Even the Wizards made real moves.
Kawhi Leonard is likely on his way back to the Raptors. The Heat are trying to build a new dynasty around the combination of Bam Adebayo and Giannis Antetokounmpo. And the 76ers will be fielding a starting five of Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, V.J. Edgecombe, Jaylen Brown, and LeBron James.
Indiana has done little to keep up with these changes. They arguably botched their contract negotiations with Myles Turner and lost him to the Bucks. Even worse, the Pacers failed to capitalize on one of the deepest drafts in years, missing the opportunity to add major talent for Hali's return.
The Pacers are not ready for the upgraded East
On top of Haliburton, several other players missed significant portions of last season due to injury. The ultimate result was going from being an NBA finalist in 2024-2025 to the second-worst team in 2025-2026. And the Pacers are gambling heavily on Haliburton's return, fixing that.
Given the major changes across the East, it's hard to see Hali making Indiana contenders on his own, especially coming off a major injury. The biggest move the front office made in the 2026 offseason so far has been signing Kelly Oubre Jr. That's not getting them back to the Finals.
At this point, the best path the Pacers have is to take the team they've got into the regular season and see what happens. Then, it will be time to hopefully make a well-informed trade or two at the deadline in February to continue to further build around Haliburton.
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